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Bourjos will try to play through pain

Bourjos will try to play through pain

ANAHEIM -- Peter Bourjos' right wrist doesn't feel 100 percent healthy, but good enough to play on -- and that's essentially how it'll be for the rest of this season.

The Angels' center fielder, out since getting plunked on the wrist on June 29, has felt fine during batting practice the last few days. He'll play in his first rehab game for Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday -- the same day Jason Vargas is slated to throw five innings and about 75 pitches -- and is expected to be there for 4-7 days.

"The fracture is stable; it is what it is," said Bourjos, who has a .333/.392/.457 slash line in 40 games this season. "I'm either going to tolerate the pain or I'm not going to be able to."

Bourjos will play in Round Rock, Texas, from Thursday to Sunday. After that, the club will determine whether he should travel with the Salt Lake Bees for their series in Albuquerque, N.M., or join the Angels in New York.

Bourjos, 26, said offseason surgery to remove the bone from his wrist "is an option, but I haven't really thought about it yet." The discomfort he feels "depends on the day," and he's been told he can't really make the wrist any worse by playing with it.

"Some days it's better than others, and I think that's how it's going to be," said Bourjos, who will wear a protective guard during his plate appearances. "Maybe in two to three weeks, it can get to the point where it's consistently better and I'm not going to have any pain. But I think at this point it's just going to be up and down. I don't think there's any point in just sitting here and doing nothing. I'm going to try to play with it and move on."

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Gonzo and "The Show", and follow him on Twitter @Alden_Gonzalez. William Boor is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.